Winning Bids: Travel Articles - Page 2

Bidding for Travel

Bidding for travel has gained popularity over the last few years, and for very good reason. Travellers can save money on products such as hotels, car rentals and airline tickets. The biggest savings are in hotel reservations, where travellers can save sometimes 60% or more, but bidding for travel also has some risks associated with it. The most popular travel bidding sites are Priceline and Hotwire. Here are some strategies for how to rebid on Priceline and how to reveal the name of your hotel before making your purchase.

Vancouver Island Hotels Not On Priceline

Ever wonder what hotels are on Priceline? These hotels are some of my favorite on Vancouver Island but you won’t find them on Priceline. Whenever I travel, I use Priceline first. I find that Priceline works best when you do not really care about the hotel you get other than the hotel class and vicinity. However, if you are picky about your hotel, here are five Vancouver Island hotels not on Priceline. It’s a little unfortunate because these are arguably some of the best hotels on the Island. (By the way, you won’t find them on Hotwire either).

Priceline Lake Tahoe

Using Priceline for Hotel Reservations in Lake Tahoe

I had the opportunity to check out Lake Tahoe Recently. I had been there about 15 years ago, but I was always confused about the various bidding regions on Priceline. This is due to the fact that theLake Tahoe Region on Priceline cuts through two states, Nevada and California. During my time in the area, I made a point of checking out a few of the main tourist areas and purposely visiting some of the better hotels that are frequently found to be on Priceline.

North and South Lake Tahoe – The Popular Priceline Bidding Zones
Lake Tahoe Bidding Zones – Overview: There are 7 bidding zones in the Lake Tahoe on Priceline, covering the main tourist areas in both North and South Lake, as well as some outer lying areas that do not get many hotel bookings (and which I didn’t visit). For casino fans, you’ll want to stay on the Nevada side as there are no casinos on the California side of Lake Tahoe.

Hotel Deals Revealed – New Home Page

Every so often, a website needs a homepage make-over.  HotelDealsRevealed is working on a new design.  Currently, we are trying out a new look on the homepage.  Have a look at the screenshot below. Homepage Features & Layout The new home page is divided into 4 main sections. The main body of the home page […]

Hotwire Hotels Revealed

Revealing Your Hotwire Hotel – As you probably know, when you book a hotel room on Hotwire, you don’t find out the name of your hotel until after you have booked. Fortunately for travellers using this site, there is a way to have your Hotwire hotel revealed. Hotwire has been around for well over a decade, and by now most people are familiar with the concept. You pay first (non-refundable) and then you find out what hotel you booked. Hotwire tells you certain information about a hotel such as the general vicinity, hotel rating, and the hotel amenities, but the actual name of the hotel is not revealed until after you pay.

Why does Hotwire not reveal the hotel name before you bid? Essentially, Hotwire sells off rooms for hotels that the hotel themselves cannot sell through direct bookings or other channels. Problem is that hotels want to sell off excess capacity, but they don’t want to frustrate existing customers who reserved at higher rates. Instead, hotels use services like HW where the name is not revealed until after you buy. This is usually a win-win for everybody involved.

W Hotel on Priceline?

Is it possible to get a W hotel on Priceline or Hotwire? W Hotels are very highly sought after, people love them for their slick and modern, high end, and very cosmopolitan style and decor. But getting a deal on a W hotel can be tough. As a result, many people turn to Hotwire or Priceline to save money on their hotel. Only problem with sites like Hotwire or Priceline is that you don’t know what hotel you’re going to get until after you bid. Once you buy your hotel, only then is the hotel name revealed.

So, if you want a guarantee that you’ll get a W Hotel on Priceline (or Hotwire for that matter), unfortunately, there is no such thing. However, if you’re willing to take a chance, here are the cities where a W Hotel has appeared on Hotwire or Priceline.